What does it mean to be a young orphan? Why and how are numbers burgeoning? Why are orphans socially excluded and how might education support their inclusion? This study investigates the lives of orphans in an area of Malawi, suggests why the numbers of orphans are exploding and indicates how the social unrest that may follow could be avoided.

This small project conceives of education in the broadest possible sense to include what the orphans need to know to survive in the short term, to fruitfully participate in their surroundings in the medium term, and to prosper in the long term. It attempts to build a picture of their lives and aspirations, the particular perceptions of female orphans and also of their carers, organised in state registered, community level Orphan Care Groups (OCGs).

The key outcomes of the research are:

• There are three cycles of deprivation associated with orphanhood. The poor give birth to children who are likely to become poor, orphans procreate children likely to become orphans, and HIV-positive parents produce children likely to become HIV-positive.
• The poverty and exclusion associated with female orphans is a significant feature of this deprivation (this is an explanation, not a criticism).
• Orphans have little food, few clothes, no bedding and no soap. The resulting hunger and social exclusion undermine school attendance and lead to further social exclusion.
• Some elements of community provision works well, for example, care distribution of food and clothing, and support. Less successful are fundraising, provision of education (chiefly vocational), food and school fees.
• As a whole, community care is overwhelmed and breaking down.
• Vocational education is in great demand by both orphans and their carers.
• Many orphans are socially excluded and feel disillusioned and desperate.

The project has drawn conclusions, which it believes should be considered by ministries and agencies in Malawi and in donor countries. It argues:

• At the time of the research, there was little or no evidence of support, provision or planning for the outcomes of HIV/AIDS or for the future of orphans – this includes the Malawian government, aid funders and NGOs and could have enormous, and negative, ramifications.
• Rural development is almost totally absent and many people are in crisis.
• The role of community-based action should be re-considered.
• There should be support for vocational education alongside basic education as a means of breaking down the cycles of deprivation.
• Schools should be developed as social systems rather than as deliverers of qualifications. All educational issues should be gendered and ‘HIVed’.
• The Malawian government should pursue policies that are ‘implementable’.
• Development policy and practice based on human understanding rather than bureaucratic procedures should be encouraged.

Source(s):
‘The Importance of In-Depth Research for Education for Development. Playing Down Presence’ by McBride R, 2002, to be published in ‘Learning Democracy and Citizenship: International Experiences’, M. Schweisfurth, C. Harber and L. Davies, Symposium Publications
‘Fenced Into Cycles of Deprivation. Orphans, their female carers and education in Malawi’, by R. McBride, forthcoming, 2002, to be published in ‘Suffer the Little Children: National and International Dimensions of Child Poverty and Policy’, C.C. Yeakey, T.A. Reed, and J.W. Richardson, Oxford, Elsevier
‘Aids and Malawi’s Young. Understanding Orphans and their Educational Needs’ by R. McBride (forthcoming), European Journal of Development Research, April 2002

Funded by: DFID (SSR)

id21 Research Highlight: 28 August 2002

Further Information:
Rob McBride
Overseas Development Group
School of Development Studies
University of East Anglia
Norwich
Norfolk NR4 7TJ
UK

Tel: +44 (0)1593 851502
Fax: +44 (0)1603 505262
Contact the contributor: r.mcbride@uea.ac.uk

School of Development Studies, UEA, UK

Other related links:
'No excuses: facing up to the AIDS orphans crisis'

'What price children? The added value of children to rural households in Zambia'

Eldis features a focus on the impact of HIV/AIDS on children

The global impact of HIV/AIDS on youth

African children, the tragic victims of the epidemic

Children Affected and Orphaned by HIV/AIDS: A Global Perspective